The Road We Take
by oh-my-marauder
Summary: It started in 5th year. He broke her heart, and he got the wrath for it. It's been two years since they have had a civil conversation, and it has to end. There has to be closure. But, the more they talk, the further away they get from closure. This is the story of how Sirius Black and Violet Hammel fell in love, and it is not easy. But the best roads we take are never easy. SB/OC
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey, you guys. I've kind of...sort of...fallen incredibly in love with the pairing of Sirius and Violet. Don't get me wrong, I ****_will _****finish HFF, and I still do like Jiolet as pairing, I just found more of a better connection with Sirius and Violet than James and Violet. For now, most of my ideas that I get are towards this ship, hence this new story.**

**This one is definitely going to be shorter, it's just the Marauders' seventh year. Thank you for taking the time to read this.**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**-Katy**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

**~June 13th, 1976~**

"Sirius?" Violet poked her head in the room, quietly entering with her hands clasped behind her back. "James told me you wanted me to come up and talk to you."

Sirius, deciding that Saturday was a lounge-around-in-bed, had spent the past two hours laying down after dinner. That being one of the only times he had gotten up so far that day. He had been flipping through the Playboy and Motorcycle magazines that he had monthly subscriptions to. James had come up half-way through the bikini section, and they talked for half an hour.

"Want anything before I go?" James had asked.

Sirius thought about it for a moment. What was he in the mood for? Not food, not drinks, he had already had social interaction…A-ha! There it was. One of his favorite pass-times: sex.  
"Send Violet up, I wanna talk to her," he said with a smirk. James registered immediately what that really meant. He scooped a tie up from the floor and hung it on the door as he left.

"You better use protection, you ponce."

Now, Violet was here, and the fun was only just about to begin.

"Yep," Sirius said, scooting over. He kicked the magazines, old crisps packets, and clothes off the bed. He lifted the duvet and patted the mattress, "Snuggle down, little one."  
Violet lifted an eyebrow, but didn't turn down his offer. She kicked off her shoes, thankful that she decided to wear leggings seeing as they'd be more comfortable, and sat down beside him. Sirius released the blanket and gently tossed it over her legs. His eyes glazed over her legs, thankful for the existence of leggings in that moment. They would be his soon.

"What's up?" she asked, grinning.

"Oh, not that much," he lied, smoothly as ever. "Just wanted your company," he smirked, placing his hand near her hip. He could see the blush beginning to grow on her cheeks, and he had to repress a comment. He knew he was winning. He always did. Now, it was only a matter of time.  
Violet's heart fluttered in her chest. James had been right. Sirius was attracted to her after all. She could hardly believe what was happening. For once, someone wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with them.

"My company? What's so special about lil' old me?" she asked, leaning against Sirius. He rested his hand on her waist, slipping underneath her shirt to brush against her skin. Goosebumps raised from that point, spiraling out to the rest of her body.

"Lots of things, love," he said, his gaze boring into hers, "lots of things."

"Tell me."

Sirius lifted his free hand and ran a hand through her hair. He curled a lock around his finger as he spoke, "Your hair," he traced his thumb from the corner of her eye, down to her cheek and across her soft lips, "your eyes, your lips. Just you, Violet. You're beautiful." An odd feeling settled in Sirius' chest. He was telling the truth, yes, but he felt a twisting sensation in his gut for saying it now. Just so she would sleep with him. He pushed it away. Violet was just another shag, nothing more. She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with happiness,

"You really think so?"

"Yes," he said. Violet lifted her hand this time, and brushed stray locks of thick black hair away from his face,

"And you're perfect," she whispered.

"I know." Sirius smirked. Violet giggled, grabbing Sirius' hands and intertwining their fingers. She stuck her tongue out at him and told him playfully,

"And arrogant." This didn't feel right. They were getting…mushy. Coupley, even, and that was not what Sirius wanted. He released his hands from her grasp, placed his hands on her waist once more, and pull her into his lap.  
"You like it," he said cockily. Sirius' breath brushed against Violet's lips. Her cheeks burned brightly now. They were so close, she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Her hands were pressed against his chest to balance herself, and she could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her palms. Her heart, on the other hand, was racing.  
"I do," she confirmed nervously. Sirius leaned in and kissed her, softly and gently at first. But, when Violet started to kiss him back, the kiss grew hotter, longer, and more passionate. Almost rough.  
Their hands anxiously tugged at the others' clothes, pulling and yanking until they were both freed of what kept their bodies from freely mingling. Sirius turned them, gently placing Violet underneath him.  
"Siri!" Violet piped up. He lifted an eyebrow as he loomed over her. "This…this isn't it, right? This isn't just a fling."  
Of course it was. That's all it ever would be.  
It doesn't have to be, the seed of doubt whispered to Sirius. He silenced it in annoyance.  
"You mean more to me than just a shag, Violet," he said quietly, "I promise."  
And that was the truth. Violet wasn't just a shag. She was a friend, too. He wasn't lying. Besides, she should know his reputation.  
Violet nodded, seeming assured by this, and spread her legs to him. Sirius smirked in satisfaction. He had won.

"Sweet Merlin, Vi," Sirius said, dropping on the bed beside her, "that was good. We'll definitely have to do that again."  
"I was expecting you to ask me to dinner first," she said sheepishly. Sirius laughed loudly, and shook his head. Violet bit back a response that she wasn't joking, but instead, she decided to just snuggle him to instead. He stiffened at this, but didn't say anything. He stared at her, an unreadable look on his face. Hers, on the other hand, was far too readable.  
"Goodnight, Siri," she said.  
_"I love you,_" her eyes screamed.  
Sirius' stomach dropped into his feet, but he gave her a grin and said,  
"'Night."

The following morning, Violet woke up to find Sirius gone. His clothes from the night before were gone, and hers were in a neat pile on the floor. All the other Marauders were asleep. An idea of waking them presented itself to her, but Violet knew better than tickle a sleeping dragon.

_Sirius probably wanted to get to breakfast early, _she reasoned with herself, _You know how much he eats. _ She quickly dressed, feeling disappointment sink into her like fangs even further with the lack of a note. Well, he had told her he enjoyed himself, hadn't it? A note would merely re-iterate the point.

Violet walked out of the common room, looking around for Sirius, hoping to find him and figure out if they could perhaps get a date set up some time soon. She smiled in relief fifteen minutes later when she spotted him smoking in the quiet, empty courtyard. She jogged over to him, and planted a kiss on his cheek before she sat down beside him.

"Morning," Violet greeted. Sirius lifted an eyebrow at her, tossing the cigarette he had finished smoking onto the ground, and crushing it underneath his shoe.

"PDA much, Hammel?" Hammel? She was back to Hammel again? What was happening?

"Well, yeah….Does it bother you?" Violet's knee began to shake with anxiety.

"It does tend to chase the other girls away. Might make them think we're dating." Violet bit down on her lip, hating the feeling of her eyes filling with tears. Sirius didn't look at her. He couldn't. He'd lose it. He'd break, and hug her, and apologize. He wouldn't. He had to stay strong. He wasn't allowed to break his rules, no matter how tempting it was.

"A-Aren't we?" she asked. Sirius laughed derisively.

"Sweetheart, you're a real laugh. Last night was a shag, that's it. We're not dating. We're never gonna date. 'S not happening, you should know better."  
Violet blinked rapidly, feeling tears slip down her face. She gripped the bench tightly, her knuckles turning white,

"You said it wasn't! You told me I meant more to you than that!" she snapped. Sirius stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. He faced her with a well-put-on expression of "lacking in care".

"I lied. It happens. I wanted to shag you."

It was like a slap in the face, and a knife through the back and skewering the heart all at once. Despite how badly she wanted to fall to her knees, Violet stood. She strode up to him with tears rolling down her cheeks, and a look so broken swallowing her whole face and features. But she would stand even though it felt like everything just wanted to tug her down.

He wasn't going to win. James had always told Violet she was stubborn, and she was damn sure to show it now.

"I love you," she told him. _I know. And you shouldn't. _Sirius' expression hardly changed. A muscle jumped in his jaw, but he hoped she didn't notice. He dropped his gaze, unable to look at her any longer. He said nothing, and merely brushed past her as though she were nothing. And to Violet, that's all she was now. Nothing. She wrapped her arms around herself, allowing tears to roll down her cheeks. She sat down on the bench, curled up into herself, and eventually fell asleep there. Sirius, on the other hand, went for a run in the Forbidden Forest in his dog form, his constant method of escape. When he returned, making sure to sniff around so he didn't run into her, he smelled James' scent and discovered she was gone. _Great_, he though sarcastically, _now Prongs is going to hate me, too_. James and Violet had been friends for years now. He was definitely going to get an ear-full for this. He morphed back into his human form, and strutted back to the common room as though nothing even happened.

"Hey, Siri," Marlene greeted as he entered. He nodded at her. "Did you get Violet a birthday present?" she asked. Sirius froze in his tracks.  
_Oh, no._ A voice he had been pushing back when he and Violet had sex, and all throughout the day finally broke through. _You care about her. You hurt her. It's her birthday today. _Sirius refused to believe it. He could've been wrong. Maybe it was May 13th.  
"No. When is it?"  
"Today, you dolt!"

Sirius was sure she said something else, but it was blocked out by the pounding in his head. He ran up the stairs, hearing Marlene's voice call after him, but unable to hear what she was saying to him. He locked himself in the dorm, and threw himself on the bed, a phrase he loathed reverberating in his head.

_You care about her, and you hurt her on her birthday. You care about her, and you hurt her on her birthday. You care about her, and you hurt her on her birthday. _He inhaled deeply to calm himself, but this proved only to have a negative affect.

His sheets smelled like her.

Sirius stood, ripped the sheets off the bed, and lit them on fire with a quick charm. Hatred, agony, and loneliness griped inside him as he watched the sheets burn in front of him. June 13th was supposed to be a happy day for Violet Hammel, and Sirius knew it wouldn't be because of him. She would probably spend it crying into a pillow, trying to mend the heart that he cruelly shattered.

He ripped out a bottle of Firewhiskey. He was definitely going to deserve the hangover he got the next morning.

* * *

**I'm making this other author's note just to assure you that Violet is NOT a Mary-Sue. Usually I _show_ it rather than tell, but this chapter was a prologue to give background into the story, and not for character development_ yet_.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Be okay today

**A/N: Hey guys! First off, thank you very much for your reviews, and follows. Secondly, to answer some questions left to me by the lovely KatherineSpice. James let Violet go up there because Violet never told him she loved Sirius. Even though they are friends, and it would definitely make sense for her to, she was just afraid to use the "l" word around people who could tell Sirius. James just thought she was sexually attracted to him, and that a shag wouldn't hurt. (Wrong James. Very wrong.) To answer your other question, Sirius didn't know James was going to find her as shaken up as she was. Also, he just wasn't thinking of the repercussions of his actions until the very end, hence his freak out. I hope I answered your questions well enough. c:**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**-Katy**

* * *

**~September 1st, 1978~**

**"I just wanna be okay, be okay, be okay,**

**I just wanna be okay today"**

**~o~o~o~o**

It wasn't a grudge so much as just her being stubborn. Everyone who knew Violet knew that she wasn't one to be entirely malicious, if it at all. She hadn't spoken to Sirius in two years aside from sharp-tongued responses to his advances. It wasn't entirely undeserved, but it just got to the point where she had to be civil about it. She didn't have to forgive him, or even speak to him at all, but all of the Marauders had had enough.

"I think it's time for an intervention," Remus said, looking to the four Marauders. They sat in their usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Peter was huddled in the corner with a sandwich, James waving smoke away from his face, and Sirius blowing the aforementioned smoke in his face.

"I'm not going to quit smoking, Moony," Sirius informed him matter-of-factly. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I think Moons is more referring to the whole issue with you and Violet, Sirius," James piped up. Sirius blanched. He leaned over and ground out the cigarette on the wall that had just become his new ashtray.

"Yeah, erm." He twisted the cigarette an unnecessary amount of times while he spoke, "She kind of freaking hates me with a bloody passion, in case you hadn't noticed. I don't think she'd be too keen on speaking with me." Peter, for whatever odd reason, decided to take Sirius' side on this.

"Well, erm, it wasn't too bad, you know. She should've known what she was getting into." Sirius nodded grandly with a look of appreciation.

"You see? Peter here agrees with me! It wasn't that bad."

There was a long silence after his statement. Remus' one eyebrow had shot up so far it was hidden by his hair line. He seemed too shocked to say anything, and instead took to rubbing his temples. James, on the other hand, was much more vocal on how appalled he was.

"It was her goddamn birthday, Padfoot!"  
"Again with the birthday shite..."

"It's not shite, you prat! It'd probably help a lot if you had said—oh, I don't know—sorry!"

"And how am I supposed to go about that without her ripping my head off?"

"Easy! Walk up to her and say," James pulled a face and mockingly mimicked Sirius in hopes he would get the message that he was being ridiculous, "'Hey, Violet. I'm sorry I ruined your birthday. I'm a prat.'" Sirius was not amused.

"...Okay, that is _not_ what I sound like, Prongs. I'm very disappointed in you." James sighed and sat back down, muttering something underneath his breath along the lines of "stupid stubborn git" and "totally pointless".

"That's not the point of this, Sirius. She's going to be here any minute, and I suggest you do not speak to her unless it contains an apology somewhere in there." Remus pointed out. He stood, and fastened his prefect badge onto his uniform. "James, we have to go to the meeting now, we'll be back later." James nodded, digging his "Head Boy" badge from his pocket and following Remus out of the compartment.

Sirius sighed, and looked to Peter,  
"Don't ever go after a bird, Wormtail. So much more trouble than it's worth. Just go for quick, cheap shags." Peter shrugged.

"If you say so, Padfoot. But I think I'd really rather like to have a girlfriend," he said honestly. Sirius snorted. Just the word _girlfriend_ made him feel ill.  
"Yeah? Who'd you have in mind?" Peter's beady blue eyes widened at the question. His cheeks flushed and he twiddled his fingers as he spoke,

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Amelia Bo—" Peter stopped mid sentence at the sound of the compartment door opening. Violet entered the compartment, causing Sirius' to stiffen up awkwardly. The summer did her well, that was certain. Her light brown hair had grown from her mid-back down to her waist, her skin was slightly tanner than before, and her freckles spanned further along her face and arms. Her waist-to-hip-ratio had decreased since the end of the school year.

"Did I miss James and Remus?" she asked, drumming her electric-blue painted fingernails against the mahogany door frame. Sirius, as always, felt the urge to make a snarky, crude remark at her, but he found his mouth going dry.

"Y-yeah," Peter nodded, "You look really nice, Violet. Well, uh, nicer than before, I mean. Not that _you_ didn't look nice before, I just, well, erm..." Violet raised her hand to stop him with a smile.

"I know what you meant. Thanks, Peter. I took lifeguard classes at one of the Muggle Pool Centers over the summer this year. That way if The Three Broomsticks doesn't work out, I can just lifeguard there." Violet sat down next to Peter, crossing her legs and wrapping her hands over her knees.

_That would explain the waist-to-hip ratio, _Sirius thought to himself. She had also seemed to have figured out how to manage her strong eyebrows, as last year she just charmed them to be lighter. Now, they were groomed, neater, and complimented her more.

Peter nodded, not really sure what she was talking about, but he pretended to be interested. He made idle chit-chat with her, talking about summer breaks, and how they just couldn't believe how fast time had gone by. After about ten minutes, Peter quietly excused himself to use the bathroom. Whether he actually did, or he just wanted to escape the tension that was slowly building between Sirius and Violet.

Violet rubbed her hands on her knees, and Sirius just watched her with furrowed brows. They didn't speak a word. Their silence was thick with palpable tension, muted feelings, unspoken words, and unanswered questions.

"You know, there's this thing that people do when they're in the same room as one another. It's called talking." There it was. The usual Sirius snark. Pfft, as if it had ever gone away. He just needed to wait for the opportunity to arise to unleash it. Duh.

"There's nothing to talk about," Violet answered him coolly. She refused to look at him, and instead took up studying her nail beds. Sirius scoffed.  
"Bullshit there's 'nothing to talk about'. There's a lot to talk about and you _know_ it, Vi." She whipped her head to look at him, and icy look in her eyes. Her voice was bitter and stung like salt in a wound.

"_Don't _call me 'Vi'. Maybe I just _don't_ want to talk to you about them, if at all."

Sirius was long used to this type of attitude from Violet, he hardly batted an eye at it. He sighed,

"Do we really have to start the year off this way? James, Remus, and Pete all agree that this has to stop. It's been two years, Violet. We have to settle this." She looked away from him, and turned her attention to the window now. Sirius' nostrils flared. "Look at me, Violet. Look at me, and _talk to me_. Do you really want us to be like this _every day_?"

Violet knew he was right. She didn't want them to be like this. She never wanted them to be like this, but now she had no choice. It was the only way she couldn't get hurt.

"You don't understand, Sirius." She shook her head.

Sirius huffed and folded his arms, leaning back against the seat. They were going nowhere, and it wasn't even his fault this time.

"I'm trying, alright?" he brushed his hair away from his eyes, "I'm _trying_. I'm _trying_ to fix this, and I don't do this that often, understand? I've only tried for the rest of the Marauders, and you. Just cut like a little slack for me, yeah?"

It was as if he had flipped a switch. Violet suddenly stood up without another word, and hastily left the compartment. Sirius dropped his head into his hands with a sigh of frustration.

"Bloody fantastic," he grumbled.

Violet pushed open the door to the compartment a few away from the Marauders'. Immediately, her friend's head lifted in her direction. Charlotte, the curvy Hufflepuff hopped up. She didn't even need Violet to say anything, she could already tell it had to do with Sirius.

"What did he say?" she asked, pulling Violet into a hug. She buried her face in Charlotte's thick dark hair.

"Everything I did and didn't want to hear," she whimpered. Charlotte wrapped her arms around her with a sigh,

"Sometimes, Vi, you make no fucking sense, and it worries me. What _exactly _did he say?"

"He said he was trying, and to cut him slack because he never tries for anyone but the Marauders and me."

"...I'm still not seeing how this is an issue, Vi."

Violet pulled away from the hug, taking deep, calming breaths. Charlotte sat down on the seat, and patted the soft cushion next to her. She sat down beside the dark-haired Hufflepuff and crossed her legs Indian-style.

"I'm just scared, okay? I don't want what happened in 5th year happen all over again. I'm afraid if we go back to being friends like we were...I'll fall for him again. That's why I have to be such a bitch to him, and I need him to just _stop_ trying. I don't want to get hurt again. I just have to wait until the guilt goes away."Charlotte knew it made sense why Violet was scared, but the way she was dealing with it was unhealthy. They _had_ to talk and get it out in the open. Violet was just being stubborn, as usual.

"Violet, you love him. We both know you do. The guilt isn't going to go away. You _have_ to talk to him about this, instead of dealing with the problem like this. You're only hurting yourself more than necessary, and you're probably hurting Sirius, too. And we both know that's not what you want, is it?" She slowly shook her head as Charlotte spoke. "Exactly. Just give him another chance, alright? I'm not saying sleep with him, but just let him explain himself, and you tell your side of the story. Can you do that?" Violet nodded.

"Good," Charlotte said. She stood up, and fished some galleons from her cloak pocket, "I'm going to get something from the trolley. Lay down and relax, alright? You just need to calm down."  
"Alright," Violet agreed. Charlotte opened the door to the compartment, leaving her best friend to relax, maybe take a nap. She walked straight into Sirius.  
"She's in there," she started, but held up a finger to stop Sirius from interrupting her, "She's calming down. I've convinced her to give you another chance, and talk to you. Don't fuck it up, understand? Or I _will_ castrate you." He rolled his eyes at her, and nodded,

"Yeah, yeah, 'smite me into oblivion', 'rue the day I was born', I get it. You'll be pissed. Can I get my bleeding chocolate frog now?"

* * *

Hours after the train ride ended, the Sorting Ceremony closed, and the feast was over, the Marauders lay in their beds in the dorm.

"The next moon is just a week away," Remus sighed, "I hate when it's closer than usual." James leaned over and patted his shoulder,  
"Don't worry, Moony. That's what we're here for, innit? You'll be fine." Though Remus nodded in agreement, the creases in his forehead said otherwise. The door opened, and a blonde head of hair poked in, a smirk on her face,  
"Hey, baby," she said to Sirius. James, Remus, and Peter's heads all swiveled in the direction of the dark-haired Black.

"Hey, Marlene," Sirius answered her without looking up from his motorcycle magazine. Without asking, or saying anything else, Marlene scampered over to his bed and laid down beside him, "I'm staying here tonight. My bed was lonely without you all summer."

"You could've shagged someone else. I told you we had no strings attached."  
"Yeah, but I didn't want to."

James mimicked a vomiting noise at Sirius and Marlene's friends-with-benefits relationship. Not so much the fact that he didn't like the idea of it (because he'd be a hypocrite if he said he did), but more so the fact that Marlene was almost a sister to him. They grew up together. Now she was shagging his best friend.

"Enough, Jamie." Marlene stuck her tongue out at him. She snuggled up to Sirius, who wrinkled his nose at the smell of her perfume, but made no comment. His hand took to idly stroking her thick, wavy hair. When he put his magazine away and finally closed his eyes for the night, his imagination turned the hair between his fingers thin, smooth, and light brown. One name kept screaming from the back of his mind, and he knew how much it would hurt her if she saw this.

_Violet._


	3. Told you to be balanced, to be kind

**~September 7th, 1977~**

**"Come on, Skinny Love, just last the year**

**Pour a little salt, we were never here**

**My, my, my, m-m-my, m-m-my, my"**

The one good thing about Potions class is that it was with Hufflepuff. The rest of the many, many bad things that entailed Potions class, at least from Violet's point of view, was that it was bloody _Potions. _

Violet was never the best at Potions, and she often added too much of this or that which ended up with her just barely getting an "A" by the skin of her teeth. However, the oddest thing about this situation was that Violet could cook. Quite well, actually. The issue is that there's a much smaller chance of something exploding or melting with Muggle ingredients than magical ones. And she very much relied on that percentage to be small. Which, unfortunately, is not the case in Potions class.

Professor Slughorn examined the attendance list, and charmed his chalk to write on the board the potion they would be making for the day. "_Felix Felicis" _was scrawled out on the chalkboard by the time he had placed the list away.  
"Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Final year, eh? Time to reminisce, but also remember your Potions homework," Slughorn chuckled to himself, while the rest of the room was silent, "Now, I shall pair you up with your partners. They will be working with your for the rest of the year, so I suggest you get on good terms with them. Spinnet, you'll be with Bones..."

A folded piece of parchment collided with the back of Violet's head. She looked over her shoulder to see Sirius staring holes into her from three rows behind her. With a poorly-hidden roll of her eyes, she reached down, picked up the parchment, and unfolded it.

"_Can we talk **now**? I'm still really sick of fighting. Not good for my beauty sleep."_

The last sentence made Violet giggle, and the corners of Sirius' mouth turned up in a smirk.

"_Alright. But we do it alone, and with no other intentions _**_but _**_that. Time and place?"_

Violet leaned back as though she were stretching, and flicked the note towards Sirius. She figured he received it with the sound of the folded-up piece of parchment smacking into someone's skin.

Sirius' eyes glazed over the note, surprises she had easily agreed. "Hammel and Wright, Potter and Bray, and Black and Sinclair." Slughorn rolled the parchment back up, and clapped his calloused hands ceremoniously. "Now, get with your partners!" Violet's eyes went to the Hufflepuff who approached her. He was tall and lanky with thin dirty-blonde hair.

"Hey," he greeted with a soft smile. He was cute.

"Hey. It's Benjamin, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Is Violet alright?" She nodded, and returned his smile politely.

"Violet is fine."

Sirius watched Charlotte work on the Potion next to him. He knew how to do everything the book said, but was just too lazy to make an effort. So, he opted to just do everything she did. Charlotte, of course, knew this but frankly didn't care enough to stop him. She was tempted to put something wrong in her cauldron, just for kicks, but she didn't want her grade to suffer because he was feeling lazy.  
"How did you do it?" Sirius asked her finally. She quirked an eyebrow at him.  
"How did I do what? I do a lot of things wonderfully, but you're going to have to be specific." Sirius gave an eye-roll.  
"How did you get Violet to talk to..._write_ to me again?" Charlotte placed down her container of angel's trumpet.  
"It doesn't matter how I did it, as long as it's done." Was all she had to offer. Sirius decided now was not the time to question her, and simply nodded. It was enough for him.

* * *

"Wouldn't you rather do something more fun?" Marlene asked Sirius with a pout. He sighed at the sixth year. Sure, it was fun shagging Marlene, but he could tell she was getting attached, and that's where things had to cut off. He lit the end of his cigarette and blew a puff of smoke in her face.

"I'm meeting with someone, alright? Go and pester James." Was he being a dick? Probably. Did he care enough to stop? No way. He was trying to get back into Violet's good books, and Marlene hanging around on him would not help at all. He'd just look like even more of a player. She raised an eyebrow, clearly not liking that response.

"Who are you meeting with?"

"A person."

"Who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes!"

Sirius groaned and smacked his hand into his forehead. Marlene folded her arms stubbornly and leaned against the stone wall. She was not leaving this corridor until she found out who Sirius was meeting. She wasn't entirely sure why she cared so much, other than to protect what was hers. She knew Sirius had said 'no strings attached'...but this was a string Marlene liked very much to attach: that he remembered he is _her_ boy-toy.

Violet entered the corridor where Sirius and Marlene waited. She wasn't her usual ray of sunshine, but Sirius preferred that to their arguments.

"Hey," she greeted Sirius evenly. She looked at Marlene. She had no idea who the blonde girl was, though she had seen her frequently in the common room. Violet was planning on introducing herself, but she immediately retracted that idea when she was met with a dirty look from the sixth year girl. Seriously? She didn't even know her! She had to have been one of Sirius' fangirls. Nadine or whatever.

Sirius peeled off the wall and strode up to Violet confidently. He reached out and placed her arm around her elbow, escorting her away from Marlene, who had no business hearing what they were going to talk about. "C'mon," he said, "let's talk over here."

An odd feeling of pride and smugness flowed into Violet like a wave as they left the blonde-haired bombshell by herself. She wasn't sure if it was because someone preferred her company over the fangirl's, or if it was _Sirius_ who was holding her in a general higher preference. She leaned against a wall, and Sirius stood in front of her, resting his palm near her head.

"Listen, Vi, about what happened a while ago..."

A loud exploding noise, and the hooting sound of James' voice echoed through the corridor. Peter ran past them, then Remus who gave a quick salute, and finally came James. He was shouting as he sprinted, his arms spread out like an eagle. He grabbed Sirius' wrist and yanked him away from Violet.

"Run, Padfoot! No time to explain!"

"Prongs—" Sirius stumbled, trying to avoid being dragged on the ground behind his best friend. He looked over his shoulder at Violet, and shouted to her, "Ten minutes, okay?!"

Looking wide eyed from the end of the hall, and to the two boys that were currently retreating, she nodded and shouted back,  
"Okay!"

A few moments later, Severus Snape sprinted down the corridor and past Violet, his wand raised towards where the Marauders had just exited. Of course, another prank on Snape gone wrong. What else could be expected?

* * *

Ten minutes turned into twenty minutes. Twenty minutes turned into forty, and forty turned into an hour. At an hour and a half, Violet had finally had enough. She left the corridor, and went back to the common room, her head pounding from holding back tears. The Fat Lady had tried multiple times to get her to spill as to why she looked so troubled, but Violet remained clamped up tight. She entered the common room, only to find the four Marauders there.

It had to be some post-prank celebration. They were running around, bottles of butterbeer in their hands and Sirius was wearing a Native American headdress and red and yellow face-paint. They were hooting and hollering, but Sirius' freezing up at the sight of her caused the rest of them to pause. He took the headdress off his head, and hopped over the couch.

"Violet, shit, I—" He began.

Suddenly, as though on instinct, Violet leaned her weight onto one leg, and yanked her shoe off her foot. The other three Marauders ducked down behind couches, but Sirius was too confused to realize she was about to murder him.

"YOU!" She raised her arm over her head, wielding the Mary Jane as though it were a rock, "Y-YOU! YOU ABSCESS!" Violet shouted, launching the shoe at Sirius' face. Sirius ducked, her shoe ruffling some hair at the top of his head. The other shoe came seconds later and broke a vase on the fireplace.

James shouted from behind his couch of safety.  
"The fuck's going on?!"

"You said ten minutes!" she cried furiously. Violet's hands balled into fists, "I waited an _hour_! If you didn't care, you should've just said so in the first place! I wouldn't have wasted my time thinking for once you'd take me seriously!"

"I do care!" Sirius protested, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have tried!"

"You call that trying?! I was waiting for you for an hour and you were in here partying with the three of them! You _forgot_ about me, Sirius Black!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

Sirius fell silent, because there was nothing he could say to deny it. Nothing that would make it better right now. Violet turned on her shoe-less heels and stormed up the stairs to her dorm just as Lily Evans walked down them.

"What did you lot do?" she demanded, walking up to the couches. Broken vase shards crunched underneath her shoes. "Bloody hell!" she remarked, stepping away from the shards. Remus charmed the shards back together, and stood,  
"Perhaps it'd be in the best interest for all of us to just let it be for a while. Lily, we have patrols to do."

Lily nodded and followed Remus as he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and walking out of the common room. James and Peter began to clean up the mess of the party while Sirius stalked up the staircase. He sat down in bed, lit a cigarette, and opened up a magazine. First it was Playboy, then it went to Motorcycles, and finally he just couldn't focus on reading.  
The door creaked open and the smell of strong perfume burst in like a wave.

"Fuck off, Marlene."

"Siri—"  
"_Fuck. Off." _She pouted, and left, slamming the door a little louder than usual behind her. Sirius sighed, knowing if he wanted to at least have a decent relationship with Marlene, he'd have to apologize later. But Violet's apology was a priority. He leaned back on the bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. "I'm sorry," he said, as though he were speaking to her right now. It wasn't good enough. "I'm sorry for being a twat, and not putting you first like I should have." That made it sound like they were dating. Eugh. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I have a shit habit of doing that." It was the truth, sure, but it didn't really make anything better. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I have a shit habit of not realizing when I'm an arsehole to people who don't deserve it until it's too late."

"Maybe," James interrupted, "instead of rehearsing bullshit, you should just genuinely say how you feel, Padfoot." He sat down on the four poster-bed beside Sirius', watching his friend in both curiosity and amusement.

"Eww. Feelings are gross, Padfoot. How do you not hate me for fucking up with Violet so many times? You guys are good friends."

James sighed, and kicked his shoes off.

"One, because you're like my brother, and two, you're not going out of your way to do it. Hell, half the time I have a part of fault in it, too. Sure, I was really fucking pissed in fifth year after 'the incident', but you're never really fighting her back. You're not calling her a bitch or anything. You care about her just as much as the rest of us do. You're just too much of a chicken shit to admit it."

"Shut up, Prongs."


	4. And not my ugly side

**~September 8th, 1978~**

**"A northern degree**

**Dove into me**

**Now I'm recovering.****"**

Sirius prided himself on how cunning and sleuthy he believed he was. He was practically beaming from his perch in the tree, seated on a thick branch. He could just barely hear Violet and Charlotte's voices a few feet below him. They sounded like whispers, but he managed to make sense from them.

"I think he does, honestly, Vi. He's just an utter butthead, and doesn't know how to show it."

"Well, if that's true, then you're certainly right about that. He left me waiting for an hour, Char." He could hear the disappointment in Violet's sigh, "I thought he really meant it this time. Like he really wanted to make things right, and I was ready to open up to him again. Now...Now I'm not so sure."

Sirius' stomach churned and his heart lurched at that. _I do mean it._ There it was. That stupid little voice he hadn't heard since he and Violet were friends. What was it Remus had called it? A...conch? A conscious? Wait, no, _conscience. _Yeah, that thing. Sirius wanted it the hell out of his head. His situation was already confusing enough, his conscience didn't need to be added to it. Sirius leaned lower on his branch, trying to get the rest of the conversation at a more audible level.

"Don't get me wrong, I know he's a dick, but I don't think he has malicious intentions, you know? Aside from people like Snape, of course, but honestly, I don't think he would've tried this hard for anyone else." Charlotte seemed to be trying to reason with her.

"Maybe I should talk to Remus about it," Violet said pensively. Though he could just barely make out her figure through the leaves and branches beneath him, he could already imagine her as she spoke. Her body language, her tone, everything. He could guarantee she was sitting Indian-style with her elbow resting on her knee and her hand supporting her chin. She was probably plucking at some blades of grass, her lip twitching in annoyance at his actions like he had recognized so often.

Sirius stiffened. Had he really noticed all of this about her? Had he observed her to the point of imagining what she was doing just by the way she spoke? Was that normal? Was it healthy? What did it mean?

_Get a grip, Padfoot. _He thought to himself. He heard shuffling and moving beneath him, and he saw Violet and Charlotte getting to their feet. He mentally cursed. Now how was he supposed to hear their conversation? Sirius clambered to his feet on the branch, and stepped onto the other ones in hope of making it to the back of the tree quietly. A branch snapped underneath his feet and he plummeted to the ground with a loud_ thump!_.

Violet's head swiveled around and she tapped Charlotte's shoulder with the back of her hand.  
"Did you hear that?"

_Please say no._

"Yeah. What was it?"

_Nothing._

"I don't know. Should we check it out?"

_Say no, Charlotte. Say no. Don't come here and look at the sexy Black who's going to be in a lot of shit if Violet seems him._

"Yeah."

_FUCK!_

Violet jogged to the other side of the tree, her hand grasping her wand that was hidden away behind her back. There, she found...a dog. A big, black scruffy dog with big gray eyes that looked up at her innocently. Her face softened immediately, and her tone turned sugar-coated.

"Oh, hello there, Pup! Lookit you! What are you doin' here, huh? C'mere!" She clapped her hands against her knees, beckoning him. Sirius padded up to her cautiously, not used to her gentleness towards him. Though, to be fair, she didn't know it was him. Violet just thought he was a sweet, innocent little dog who had wandered into Hogwarts grounds. She carefully reached out her hand, allowing Sirius to sniff it. Merely following his animal instincts, Sirius buried his cool, wet nose into her palm, inhaling deeply. She smelled of strawberry shampoo, and the grass she had been picking at a few mere minutes earlier.

The dog's tongue prodded at Violet's fingers, earning a laugh from her. She stroked his black furry, ruffling behind his ears. "Aww, yeah, you're _so_ adorable!" she cooed. Sirius leaned against her hands, taking a mental note to change into a dog more often around Violet. She was much sweeter around him when she had no idea it was him.

"Violet, we have to go to class in three minutes," Charlotte reminded her impatiently. Violet swiveled her head around to look at her friend.

."We can't just leave him here!" she protested, "Dog's aren't allowed at Hogwarts. He has to be lost, Char."

Sirius took this opportunity to quickly dart away from Violet and towards a thick collection of bushes that was growing behind a section of the grounds. She called after him, but he ignored it. Sirius looked through a small gap in the prickly leaves, and watched Charlotte drag Violet back into the castle.

Sirius transformed back into his human form once more. He sat down, releasing a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. He could still feel Violet's hands on his cheeks and back, the tingling sensation not quite going away.

* * *

The full moon glimmered against the Black Lake, showing it's reflection. Underneath the entrance to the Shrieking Shack in the Whomping Willow, sat the four Marauders. Peter had fallen asleep on the armchair, Remus napping on the floor, and James starting to drift off to sleep, but Sirius was still awake. He just found himself unable to rest for the night. He had spent the last ten minutes pacing, and earned an odd look from his stag best friend.

Violet, complete in her pink fuzzy pajamas, plush white bathrobe and bunny slippers stalked down the staircase and out to the grounds. She was still furious with herself for forgetting the stupid potions extra credit. It was so simple, all she had to do was pick a specific plant. That's it. It really could not get any easier. However, since she was a horrific procrastinator, not only did she get stuck with the plant no one wanted because it was really prickly, but the only place it grew was alongside the roots of the Whomping Willow.

"Fantastic," Violet mumbled, shuffling through the dewy grass towards the willow. Normally, Violet would have long given up, but she needed the points to pass. With her parents fighting like they were now, the last thing she wanted to do was bring home a failing grade in potions. She'd just have to find a really long root or something. "_Lumos!"_ The tip of Violet's wand lit, and shined upon her path, making it easier to see.

Approaching the willow was the most difficult part. She couldn't really stay long underneath it, unless she leaned directly against it. Then, if it tried to hit her, it would only attack itself. It was worth a try. "Look on the bright side, Violet. If you die, you don't have to take that History of Magic test."

The Whomping Willow loomed threateningly from it's place in the grass. Twisted, rough, and sharply thorned, the willow was not something Violet truly wanted to get up close and personal with. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. She sprinted to the trunk of the tree and pressed her back up against the bark. She sunk into a seated position on a root, and dug a gardening knife from her robe pocket. A branch came swinging down and collided with the closest soil the willow could reach without injuring itself.

Violet jumped, scrambling to keep herself from falling off the root, which only ended with her dropping her knife. She cursed and shone the light to where she thought it fell. She spotted the bright reflection of silver, only to see it slide downwards and disappear into the tree?

_What?_

She crawled closer to where the knife was last spotted, lighting the way with her wand. She squinted in the darkness to find a tunnel. She forgot all about the extra credit, and passing potions. Now, she needed to know where this tunnel lead. Violet crawled into the tunnel without a second thought.

Sirius lifted his head.

_Someone's here._

He prodded James with his paw, and looked worriedly between Remus and James. Whoever was there was a human. They had to get out of here and fast, before Remus woke up.

_I said someone's here, moron. Stay here and keep Remus calm. I'll check it out._

James bowed his head at Sirius to show he understood. Sirius padded down the stairs, and felt a pang of horror strike him. There stood Violet, glancing around the shack and looking very confused. Her wand was lit, and she shined it over Sirius.

"Hey, pup! What are you doing here, huh?" Violet cooed. "Come here boy! Come here!"

James' head snapped up at the sound of Violet's voice. He could hear it from upstairs! Remus stirred, rising his snout in the air and taking a deep, long inhale. He howled. Sirius cursed internally and shifted back into his human form, the urgency too great for him to care if Violet saw him now.

"What the-?!"  
"No time to explain. Violet, you have to get out of here _now!_"

"No way! You and the Marauders never told me about any of this, and I'm so not happy about..." Violet's voice trailed off at the sight of a werewolf looming over Sirius, a stag behind it and trying to tug it away with it's teeth. He howled again, snarling and getting up on his hind legs. "_No!_" she screamed. Violet's adrenaline exploded within her, shooting her forward and shoving Sirius out of the way.

Remus pounced on Violet, knocking her to the floor, a snarling, growling, howling tangle of legs, claws and teeth. She managed to keep him somewhat at bay by pushing him further away with her legs, but each time the wolf's jaw snapped, it got an inch closer.

A blur of black fur, paws, and barking ran directly into the werewolf, wrestling him to the ground. James, now in his human form, dragged a shaking, teary Violet to the entrance of the shack.

"I-I can't leave you guys with that thing! It'll kill you!"

"Violet, get out!"

"No!" she protested, grabbing stubbornly for her wand. "I can't let it hurt you guys!" James lashed his arm out and roughly grabbed her wrist. He forced her wand arm down.  
"It's _Remus,_ Vi. Now, will you leave?!"

"R-Remus?" she spluttered, her eyes wide. She looked at the wrestling pile of dog and werewolf, still shaking. It couldn't be Remus. Sweet, gentle Remus who she adored like he was her little brother. How could he be that creature? She began to shake uncontrollably, her head pounding. It felt like someone was beating a war drum on the inside of Violet's forehead. She stumbled, James still talking to her, though she couldn't make much of it out. He tugged on her arm again, his voice echoing in her mind.

"N-No! No, no, I have to help!" she argued.

The werewolf reared up on his hind legs and threw Sirius into a pile of heavy chairs that collapsed on top of him. A broken whine emitted from the fallen pile. This seemed to snap Violet out of her shock. Sirius was hurt.

_Her_ Sirius was hurt.

With a strength neither Violet or James knew she had, she wrenched her arm free of James' grasp and narrowly avoided the werewolf that clawed at her. She heard the faint sound of James transforming back into a stag as she tossed the chairs away from the dog. One of them hand landed on his paw, causing the whine most likely. She lifted the thick, heavy chair from Sirius' paw. He weakly got to his feet, and lifted his head toward Violet.

James had managed to distract Remus fairly well, just enough time for Sirius to transform back into a human. His left hand, luckily not his wand hand, had been painfully twisted and dented, but he ignored it. For a moment, Sirius and Violet just stared at one another. There was no wall, no silence, no tenseness. No one brought up the incident in fifth year, no one glared, no one commented.

_You saved me,_ Sirius thought to himself as he drew his wand on her, _now it's my turn to save you._

"_Stupefy!"_

The beaming red light burst out and struck Violet squarely in the chest. Her vision blurred, and darkened. Her body suddenly felt weightless, and her limbs shut down, disabling her from sitting up. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a werewolf pouncing on Sirius.

* * *

Violet jolted awake, the Hospital Wing bed creaking underneath her. She glanced around wildly, looking for the Marauders.

"Don't jump around like that, dear, you'll give yourself whiplash," Madame Pomfrey chided.

"Where's-"

"Oh, don't worry about them. They're alright. Mr. Black is a bit more banged up and bruised, so he'll have to stay a little while longer, but I sent Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Pettigrew back to their common room around twenty minutes ago."

Madame Pomfrey bustled over to the window and pulled the curtains back, allowing sunlight to dance into the room.

"How long have I been here?" Violet asked her. She figured it had to be longer than an hour or so, seeing as her nightgown and bathrobe were gone, and she was donned in the Hospital Wing gown.

"All night. Same with Mr. Black over there." Madame Pomfrey pointed at the bed across from Violet's. The young witch immediately jumped to her feet, her skin slapping against the stone cold floor as she darted over to him. "Miss Hammel! I did not give you permission to get up."

Violet ignored Madame Pomfrey's statement and instead reached out to Sirius' sleeping form. She pressed a ginger hand to his cheek, resting it there for a few moments. After she had been so awful to him for so long, he never even hesitated in helping her. He even put himself in risk to warn her.

"It was him, wasn't it?" She looked over her should at the Medi-witch. "He was the one who brought me in."

"Yes. Had you thrown over his shoulder, a broken hand and bruises and scratches. Thankfully, none caused by Mr. Lupin." Violet nodded absently, and retracted her hand from Sirius' face.

"I was so horrible to him," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. That had to change. She turned and took a spare blanket that was draped across a chair. Violet shook out the blanket and laid it on Sirius. She smoothed a few stray locks of hair back away from his face.

"Alright, alright, that's quite enough. You're still very weak, Miss Hammel, you need to lay down. You can talk to your savior after you've rested." Madame Pomfrey waddled over and placed her hand on Violet's shoulder.  
"B-But-"

"The longer you push it off, the longer it takes for you to leave," she reminded the stubborn brunette. Finally relenting, Violet nodded. Before returning to her bed, she leaned over and whispered in Sirius' ear:  
"Thank you."


End file.
